1965 LWB Stepside Build

[pdxhall]

very nice interior work. I also love the shifter and the Indian knob.

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by pdxhall

very nice interior work. I also love the shifter and the Indian knob.

Thanks! I appreciate it. Everytime I shift gears, I love the Indian knob more.

[roll_the_dice]

OK, so I took my truck back into the shop that did my A/C work...the A/C isn't working. THe compressor isn't coming on...I think it is either too much freon or not enough. Anyway, they are going to fix it...and there were runs in the dash clear coat that they are going to clean up which should have been done before I got it back.

While the truck is gone, I thought I would look at my spare tire hanger. Fortunately being a LWB I don't need the fender cutout, but it is going to be a close fit so it will have to be hung exactly in the right spot. I have on original stepside hanger for a 6 lug wheel. My truck was converted to 5.

The top stud on the hanger could/should work fine...do I just cut off the other 2 studs and weld 2 new studs in place or cut off all 3 studs weld a slightly larger piece of metal on and then weld 3 studs in place?

[roll_the_dice]

Ordered new PML valve covers today...Can't wait to get them so I can paint them and install...going to dress up the engine bay so good. Got them from www.lyonsperformance.com on a great deal...saved about $150!

this ppicture is from www.yourcovers.com (PML)...the great deal was on "corvette" covers...going to paint them light green to match the other bits in my engine bay.

[roll_the_dice]

OK, so I started driving the truck at Thanksgiving...had 360 hundred miles on it when we left today. Took it out on it's mayden day trip today...we did about 250 miles round trip...have 609 miles on the truck now! Did some pictures...just cruised and had fun. Truck did great. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

[roll_the_dice]

Here are some more my wife took.

[J Williams]

That’s awesome man! Truck looks great, can’t wait to drive mine around like that! Such a fun time driving the old trucks around

[The Rocknrod]

Nice work.

[roll_the_dice]

My wife made this comparison picture...one before the restoration started and one this weekend...quite the difference in the interior dash.

[cwcarpenter98]

Heck yeah man! All that hard work payed off!

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

Heck yeah man! All that hard work payed off!

Thanks Christian!

[roll_the_dice]

Started painting my new valve covers today...will get finish up in the next few days...going to get some black on it tomorrow.

[350TacoZilla]

Looks great man! good to see you getting it out and enjoying it. On the spare tire thing I would put 3 new studs in that are same thread as your lugs and mount the spare using 3 lug nuts like what the truck uses, that way if you need to change out the tire alongside the rd and drop a lug or two you have spares. Heck even if you drop all 5 you will have 3 and can throw the flat in bed. I would also make a secondary lock that is easy to use but hard to defeat if you know what I mean, a simple plate with loop sticking through that covers the lugs is effective. I like the puck lock type of system.

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

Looks great man! good to see you getting it out and enjoying it. On the spare tire thing I would put 3 new studs in that are same thread as your lugs and mount the spare using 3 lug nuts like what the truck uses, that way if you need to change out the tire alongside the rd and drop a lug or two you have spares. Heck even if you drop all 5 you will have 3 and can throw the flat in bed. I would also make a secondary lock that is easy to use but hard to defeat if you know what I mean, a simple plate with loop sticking through that covers the lugs is effective. I like the puck lock type of system.

Thanks...it feels so good to be able to drive it again. So would you cut off the existing studs and weld new ones on the faceplate using threaded rod of the right thread pattern? I like the idea of a lock on one of them...thanks, good thinking!

[roll_the_dice]

OK so I started painting my new valve covers...here are some of the progression shots of the process.

I took the raw aluminum and sanded it so it wasn't as rough as the original sand casting. Not enough to polish it...but enough..went from 40 grit paper to 220 on all surfaces. You can see some "rough" spots around the Corvette script and between the fins where I did not do any sanding of the original casting. Wasn't worth the effort IMO. I then painted green (3 coats) to match the bits under my hood. I let that dry overnight. I scuffed that up a little on top so that black paint would adhere better. I then masked off what I wanted black....then shot the black. Once the last coat of black was laid out I pulled the tape off so there were no hard lines. The next day, I sanded off the raised fins and script with 220 grit on top. Where the black paint rolled to the side and faded out I used lacquer thinner and a micro dabber to get the black paint off the fins and shape the black where it stopped. I then hand sanded any bits that the lacquer thinner wouldn't get. If I sanded too much I touched up with a micro dabber. I still need to clear coat it all tomorrow...and polish the top fins and script... I love the result.

[350TacoZilla]

Basically the way I would tackle it would be to cut off and grind down the existing studs then drill the holes for new and use G8 bolts in correct thread pattern, push them through the holes then weld them on the back side. For the lock you could use a matching wheel lock to the truck if you can find a company that will send 5 matching ones if you want it cleaner looking than the more commercial style lock I mentioned before lol.

[cwcarpenter98]

The valve covers look great!

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by 350TacoZilla

Basically the way I would tackle it would be to cut off and grind down the existing studs then drill the holes for new and use G8 bolts in correct thread pattern, push them through the holes then weld them on the back side. For the lock you could use a matching wheel lock to the truck if you can find a company that will send 5 matching ones if you want it cleaner looking than the more commercial style lock I mentioned before lol.

Exactly how I was thinking--cutting off and grinding them down and then drilling and using a bolt of the appropriate size from the backside welded in. Thanks!

Originally Posted by cwcarpenter98

The valve covers look great!

Thank you sir...since the truck is drivable, now the fun part of making some pieces nicer looking can begin.

[88Stanger]

Beautiful work! Just awesome work so far. Love the valve covers... how many sets of like those i have had over time..... lol

[straight6chevyguy]

Glad to see the truck back together and driving.
Those valve covers came out nice too.

[SCOTI]

Valve covers look good. The effort shows.

[roll_the_dice]

Originally Posted by 88Stanger

Beautiful work! Just awesome work so far. Love the valve covers... how many sets of like those i have had over time..... lol

Originally Posted by straight6chevyguy

Glad to see the truck back together and driving.
Those valve covers came out nice too.

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Valve covers look good. The effort shows.

Thanks guys...I appreciate the kind words. I clear coated the valve covers this week. Just waiting on the clear to cure then I will spot wet sand and polish them. A little bit of trash in a place or two...but I do love them. Hope to get them installed this weekend.

[roll_the_dice]

Haven't been doing a whole lot on the truck other than driving it and trying to fine tune the Fitech. I want to paint the rally wheels soon also. However, today I finally swapped out my valve covers. I love the new ones...dresses up the engine bay so well. Here are a few pictures...a before and after.

[Duncan K]

Those covers look really good in there. Gorgeous engine bay!

[66C10LB]

Beautiful engine bay!